Beater device for braiding machines



May 12, 1925.

' J. BOTTENBERG BEATER DEVICE FOR BRAIDING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov'. '17, 1922 [are]: for:

BEATER DEVICE FOR BRAIDING MACH INES Filed NOV. 17, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 21 V021 101 a 52mm 8M0? Patented May 12, 1925.

PAT ENT OFFICE.

UNITED- STATES JULIUS BOTTENBEBIG, 0F BARMEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM OF ALB. &

HENKELS, OF LANGEB-FELD, NEAR. BAR/MEN, GERMANY.

BEATER DEVICE FOR BRAIDING- MACHINES.

Application filed November To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULrUs BOTTENBERG, a citizen of Germany, residing at Barmen, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin a Beater Device, for Braiding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention refersbroadly to means for making laces, particularly such as may be obtained by the so-called single-thread lace braiding or plaiting machine, that is a machine of the type described for instance in U. S. Letters Patent to Malhere No. 613380, and it is intended to materially increase the adaptability of'machines of this kind.

In the manufacture of laces with comparatively broad braided portions (spots, leaflets and the like)'by means of a machine of the type aforesaid, it is old to effect the beating of the marginal thread crossings of the threads of'the portions which shall be kept broader by means of a pair of outwardly cranked beater arms, with a View of obtaining spots, leaflets and the like of the greatest possible width. This procedure, however, involves the difliculty that the laterally crankedbeater arms cannot reliably engage the thread crossings to be beaten whereby the extent of the crankedportion of the beater arms, and consequently the width of the spotsor the like, are considerably limited.

In the device according to the present invention, this difliculty is overcome in that before the beating of the marginal thread crossings of the threads of the portions to be broadened-the outer thread ineach of the two pairs of threads-forming these crossings is shiftedloutwards by means of a wedgelike operating member moved into the cone ofthreads. By this means the cranked beaters are enabled to reliably engage the crossings to be beaten and, on the other hand, it is now possible to extend the cranked portion of the heaters considerably beyond the ordinary, and thereby to obtain a substantially increased width of the spots and the like, as compared with the previous state of the art.

For the purpose of carrying the new proccss into effect, an ordinary crown beater with two alternatingly movable groups of beater arms is employed which, in a well known manner, are flexible in the lateral direction so that, in accordance with the par- 17, 1922. Serial No. 601,628.

ticular position of the spots and the likein the fabric to be produced, any pair of beater arms may be cranked outwards in any of the groups. In connection therewith and in accordance with my invention, there are arranged at the rear of the cranked beater arms of one of the groups and in the radial direction wedge-like members arranged, for reciprocation together with the other group of beaterarms, and in such a manner that, when the wedges are raised,

they engage between the pairs of threads to position of the portions which shall be kept broad.

The invention will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing, showing in Figures 1 to 5 an embodimentof the principles thereof by way of example as appli'edtoa crown beater, only part of the beater arms, the number of which as usual corresponds to the number oftdiscs of. the braiding or. plaiting machine, beingshownfor, the sake of: clearness of-illustration.

In Figures 1 and 2, I have shown-two views in elevations of the crown beater at right angle to each other, the group of beater arms containing the cranked pa1r of boaters,-

being shown in the lower terminal position.

Figures 3 and 4 are similar views in elevation with the group of beater arms containing the pair of cranked beaters shown in the operating position.

In Figure 5 I have shownthe two wedge members in detail.

Figure 6 is an illustration of the mode of operation'of the device according to this invention in top planview with. the braided fabric in the plane of the paper.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the device.

Referring to the drawings, the crown beater is provided in the usual manner with two groups of rockingly arranged beater arms a, a and b, b, respectively, which are alternatingly upwardly rocked by the oppositely moved lifting rings 9 and through the medium of the rods 0, d, so as to be beaten. During the movement the beater arms, as is well known, enter in radial direction behind the thread crossings of threads and into the cone as formed by the threads, thereby pushing the thread crossings towards the mandrel k. In order to retain the thread crossings, the beater arms which happen to be in beating position, are rocked downwards only after the beater arms of the other group have gone through the beating operation, All beater arms are made of comparatively thin flexible sheet metal, so that they may be exactly adjusted by lateral bending and, if desired, may be laters *1 cranked away from each other.

At the points in which a broadened pattern, a spot for instance, shall be formed in the lace to be manufactured, two adjacent beater arms of one group, for instance the two beater arms 6 b are cranked apart with the well known result that the marginal points of intersection of the spot are beaten at a greater distance from the median line of the spot, than is normally the case, by which means the desired width of the spot is produced. In order that the cranked beater arms can reliably engage the thread crossings to be beaten, I provide to the rear of each beater b 6 outwardly sloping wedges i, 2', carried by rods 70, 70 which are secured to the lifting disc 7 of the group a, a of beater arms, so that the two wedges z, z are raised and lowered in positive synchronism with the beater arms a, a, that is to say, upon the upward rocking movement of the said beater arms, they enter from below the cone of threads 00. The wedges are arranged in such a position with relation to the cranked beater arms 6 5 that the threads 2, a which happen to be the outer threads of the pairs of threads forming the thread crossings to be beaten by the beater arms 6 b are thereby shifted a comparatively large distance outwards from their normal position. By this means, as appears from F igure 6, the result is accomplished that the cranked beater arms b reliably engage with the thread crossings, so that all thread crossings are carefully beaten and undesired holes in the lace are avoided.

Inasmuch as the position of the portion to be broadened in the lace usually varies with each lace, the rods 70, 70 carrying the wedges z, z are detachably secured to the lifting disc 0 by means of screws m, m or the like,

so that they may be secured at any desired point, that is to say, they may be mounted wherever a pair of beater arms has to be cranked apart for the purpose of broadening portions of the lace. The rods are, moreover, also readily flexible, so that the wedges i, i can be exactly adjusted by bending the rods 73, is laterally.

Evidently, a pair of beater arms of the group of beater arms a, a might also be cranked asunder in which case the rods carrying the wedges i, i willhave to be secured to the lifting disc 9 of the group of beater arms 6, 7). Also several pairs of beater arms may be cranked asunder, wherever the nature of the pattern of the lace requires it, and in such case the number of wedges i, 2', will, of course, have to be increased correspondingly. Other alterations and modifications will suggest themselves to the expert to adapt the invention to varying conditions of its application and within the spirit and scope of the principles of the invention.

I claim a .1. Single-thread lace braiding or plaiting machine comprising in combination, two groups of alternately movable, laterally flexible thread beater arms, pairs of such beater arms being cranked outwards and vertically reciprocable wedges arranged radially to the rear of the cranked beater arms of the one group and connected with the beater arms of the other group.

2. Single-thread lace braiding or plaiting machine comprising in combination, two groups of alternately movable, laterally flexible beater arms, pairs of such beater arms being cranked outwards, vertically reciprocable rings for alternately moving the two groups of beater arms, pairs of vertically reciprocable wedges arranged radially to the rear of the cranked beater arms of one group of beater arms and flexible rods carrying said wedges and removably fixed to the re ciprocable ring belonging to the other group of beater arms. V

3. Single-thread lace braiding or plaiting machine comprising in combination, two groups of alternately movable, laterally flexible thread beater arms, vertically reciprocable rings for alternately moving the two groups of beater arms, vertically reciprocable wedges arranged in pairs and adapted, on being raised, to enter between the threads of certain pairs of threads behind the thread crossings formed by these pairs and flexible rods carrying said wedges and removably connected to said rings.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JULIUS BOTTENBERG. 

